Child of the Darkness
by Gre3nleaf
Summary: What do you get when you cross the Dark One and a little red-headed girl? Bedtime stories with magic dragons, reluctant bear hugs in the hallways, and a broken man who, perhaps one day, might be brave enough to call her his daughter.


**Child of the Darkness**

**A/N: So, Golden Leaves is done, and this story will just be one-shots of Rumple, Belle & Autumn's life together, both pre and post-curse! Enjoy!**

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**Summary: The Dark One's boots have gone missing. It takes him a little while to figure out who the culprit is.**

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Rumplestiltskin was confused.

He could have _sworn _he'd left his boots at the end of his bed the previous night before he went to sleep.

But they weren't _there_.

It was well within his power to simply conjure up another pair, but the puzzlement accompanying this was just too… mind-frazzling. He didn't have long to dwell on the fact that he'd just used Autumn's made-up word – even if it was just said in his mind – before a new wave of confusion washed over him, and he placed his hands on either side of his face as he stared with furrowed eyebrows at the spot in which he was ninety-nine percent _certain _he'd put his boots. And his _favourite _boots, no less!

He hated being confused.

Rumplestiltskin was supposed to know everything, and yet he couldn't even remember where he'd dropped his boots the previous evening.

A low growl emanated from his chest and he spun around to face his mirror before buttoning up his shirt. _No_. He _could _remember. He'd put them in that _exact _spot. They just… weren't _there _anymore…

The imp dressed himself quickly, trying desperately not to let his mind be overrun by thoughts on the case of his missing boots, before making his way down to the hall, unashamedly feeling quite odd in the black leather boots he hardly ever wore. Despite it, however, he swiftly arrived at the main room of the house and sat in his usual chair, crossing one leg over the other and reaching for the magical scroll he'd left on the table the morning before.

It was silent for a short while, as it usually was every morning while he waited. He busied himself with reading through the scrolls and papers, absently throwing a hand towards the window and opening it to let the fresh air of the new morning waft in, and sat there with a patience he had only really acquired in the past two years.

Though he supposed patience was essential when you had two girls living in the house. The little one liked to sleep in every morning, but he was thankful that Belle only indulged that for a half hour before she got her up and down for breakfast. He had to admit that his life had changed quite drastically in the years since he'd opened his door to find a child waiting on the front step; he'd told himself that Belle would be the only one caring for her, and yet he still somehow found himself creating tales of princesses and dragons and magicking pictures to go along with them every couple weeks before bedtime, and he still knew he had to pick up a dress at the tailor for her to wear at a friend's birthday party next month, and he still accepted good night hugs when he returned from a day of dealing and 'I missed you' hugs when he'd been away from home a short while.

He supposed, somewhere along the way, he'd become a father once again.

Though he would never admit it.

As for the maid… well. How could you call a woman who cooks and cleans for you and cares for your child but is still invited to family events and daily meals and bedtime stories a _maid_? Belle was… an important asset to the family. She made him feel a little lighter after a weightful day.

But, again, he would _never _admit it. This one more than the other.

"Good morning!" He looked up from his papers as Belle sprung into the room, a bright smile on her face, and he nodded his head in response. "Toast? Or eggs? Both?" she asked as she walked up to him and braced her hands on the table. He waved a hand at her.

"Whatever you wish for," he said.

"Alright."

"Mm… where's the urchin?" He glanced up at this, and Belle replied over her shoulder on her way towards the kitchen.

"She'll be down in a moment!"

He hummed under his breath and turned back to his very interesting scroll on leprechaun magic. One could never know too much about leprechauns. Though for as much as they were said to be mischievous creatures, they were a very dull topic to read on. Just… treasure, treasure, treasure. Even _he_ wasn't that materialistic.

But perhaps that was because he already had enough of it.

The quiet shuffling of small feet reached his ears not a minute after Belle had left to make breakfast, and he lifted his head slightly, removing one hand from the page he was reading to place on his lap. His eyes stopped reading the scroll, but other than that he showed no sign that he had done so. The moment the little noises stopped, he mentally counted down, feeling a rush of air behind him before he abruptly raised his arm and snapped his fingers.

He turned in his chair at the little huff, satisfied grin on his face when he saw Autumn hovering in mid-air, pout on her face and arms crossed over her chest. "What have we _here_?" he asked, resting his chin on the top of his chair. His dark eyes twinkled with glee at his catch, despite the look of impishness on his face, and it contrasted greatly to Autumn's obvious grumpiness that she'd been caught.

Autumn shook her head, wet auburn hair falling about her face. "I _nearly _got you this time," she responded grumpily, and the Dark One rose an eyebrow, releasing her from his magic and setting her back down on her feet.

"Not quite," he said. A twirl of his finger sent a flurry of magic towards her as she moved to sit at the chair next to him, causing her to jolt forwards in surprise. When she glanced down, a red – _dry _– braid lay neatly against her shoulder. She clambered up on the chair, still almost too short to properly reach the table, and rested her hands on the polished wood before turning her head to face Rumplestiltskin.

He decided to ignore her puckish grin for now. He always lived to regret asking what mischief she'd caused.

'For now' didn't last very long, as was soon proved when he glanced up briefly only to see her head ducked under the table. He turned his own head, deep frown creasing his forehead, and rose a dark brow when she quickly reappeared once more, a giggle escaping her lips.

Lowering his scroll, he stared at her. "What've you done?" he asked, a sense of urgency in his voice.

She shrugged. "Why are you wearing different boots?" Her little elbows came to rest on the table, and she lay her chin in her hands, big blue eyes shining.

The man continued to stare, eyes narrowing as realisation suddenly became clear to him as to the possible scenario concerning his beloved footwear. It would make sense, after all, and he was shocked he hadn't thought of it yet. At the end of the day… she _was _Autumn. And Autumn was quite possible the _only _person he had ever met in his life who was willing to direct her mischievous intentions his way _completely_.

After a moment of thought, he dropped his papers on the table and mirrored her actions, making her giggle. "Am I not allowed to wear different boots?" he asked.

"_Yes_," Autumn told him, "but you always wear the _same_ ones."

"Of course _you_ would know that. Perhaps you might know where they ran off to, eh?"

The little thing shrugged again, not bothering to hide her amusement. "Don't know."

Oh, the _audacity_. He moved an arm and pointed his finger straight at her, mere inches from her face. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Because I have an _ink_ling that a certain _little _lady broke into my room while I was still sleeping and _stole_ my favourite boots. What do you think?"

Autumn made a face. "I'm not sure. Maybe you should ask her. I think she's making breakfast right now."

Rolling his eyes, he pushed his chair back and quickly stood to his feet. "_Not_ Belle." Autumn jumped up with a giggle and attempted to run past him. "_You_." She squealed when he grasped her waist and hoisted her up and over his shoulder. "Where did you hide them?" he asked, giving her little behind a pat and wincing when she screamed in his ear.

"Nohowhehere!" she giggled uproariously, clutching tightly onto his jacket for fear of falling, and the Dark One swung her back into his arms and perched her on his hip, unable to contain the small smile when she collapsed breathily against his shoulder. It only took her a moment to regain her composure before she attempted to scramble out of his arms – of course in vain, as she was quickly proven when he pulled her right back and wiggled his fingers under her arms, to which she responded by screeching.

He groaned and turned his head away from her, feeling her grab his hands where they were moving.

"Breakfast's ready!"

His head zipped around so fast that Belle was almost sure he'd gotten whiplash, and his look of shock quickly changed to one of both uneasiness and embarrassment as he righted Autumn, who was still giggling madly, placed her back on her feet and pushed her towards her chair. "Sit down for your food," he said, none too gently, but the little girl didn't seem to mind, and she skipped back to her seat with a beam on her face and a happy twinkle in her eyes.

Belle immediately set to placing the breakfast she had cooked – with help from the magic he'd enchanted the kitchen with, of course – sending subtle glances to the imp at every chance she had, despite him avoiding her eyes at all costs. She smiled as she did so, and once Autumn was happily digging into her breakfast, she sat herself down opposite her and leaned over to him. "That was the tiniest bit _sweet_, you know," she whispered quietly.

He snapped his head up and glared at her. "What was? You barely saw a thing."

"Oh, I was standing there _much_ longer before I called you," she said knowingly before sitting back and bringing her fork up to her mouth. The Dark One blinked a little as she leaned across the table to help Autumn cut her food up. "By the way," she continued, and he turned his head slightly to look at her, "why is there a pair of your boots stuffed in a kitchen cupboard?" She cocked her head to the side and a frown marred her forehead. Rumplestiltskin, meanwhile, immediately pressed his lips together in a thin line and spun to face Autumn. Her mouth was open, forkful of egg paused in mid-air, and her eyes were fixed straight ahead. When silence enveloped the room, and she flicked her eyes over to look at him, she couldn't help but let a huge grin adorn her lips at the expression on his face.

Belle glanced between the two, scared to make even the smallest of noises, as the Dark One and the little girl who was _still_ barely higher than his waist seemingly engaged in a staring contest. Her eyes widened and she leaned back quickly when Autumn suddenly leapt from her seat with a giggle and raced off out of the room, Rumplestiltskin barely giving a backward glance before jumping up and following after her, shouting something incoherent as Autumn's bubbly laughter filled the halls.

Belle still had absolutely no idea what was going on.

But, she decided, as the imp's shout of "let me teach _little_ _ladies_ what happens when they _steal_ the _Dark One's favourite boots_!"rang into the room…

She _loved_ it.


End file.
